


Found- Book I of Found's Short Version Series

by ToriReader



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Cold Case - Freeform, F/M, Gabriel Agreste is only a victum of heartbreak, Season 1 Only
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-16
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2019-05-08 16:52:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14698383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToriReader/pseuds/ToriReader
Summary: A few years have passed since Hawkmoth's defeat, and Adrien Agreste feels lost without his beloved love Marinette Dupin-Cheng. The ex-model is now living on the outskirts of Los Angeles, California and tonight he is celebrating his twenty-fifth birthday with his best friend Nino Lahiffe and his fiancé Alya Césaire. As the three friends celebrate his new age at a nearby bar in East Los Angeles: Nino decides to surprise his friend Adrien with a birthday gift which could change his life for the better.Will Adrien Agreste be willing to accept Nino's gift and be found again?Or will he be lost forever in his misery?Find on in found.





	1. Chapter 1:The Birthday Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> Found Series, is inspired by the song Found from the Jonas Brothers' Unreleased album called V (Five). The art's book cover was drawn on Oct 7, 2016, by Tumblr user Reichanminh. Down blow, I have also posted a link to her art blog. 
> 
>  
> 
> http://reichanminh.tumblr.com/

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspiration: Hands off My Heart by MKTO: The Mysto & Pizzi Remix.

Adrien is the Son of well-known Parisian fashion designer Gabriel Agreste. This supermodel teenager was once the face of "The Gabriel Brand" and he had everything at his fingertips. Although this statement may be true, there is one catch to this statement; Adrien hasn't been able to find love until he turned thirteen. 

You are probably wondering: How is it possible that I know this fact?  

Well, the answer to your question is simple; I am Adrien Agreste, and this is where our story begins.  

After taking a summer trip to Tibet in 2014, Mrs. Emilie Agreste had been reported missing for several days by her husband, Gabriel Agreste. Several police officers wanted to solve her case, and the family was hopeful for her return. As months turned into years, the police department had been forced to stop all investigations on the case due to the lack of finding her body. Within the same week, "the invisible woman" case had become a cold case and the news of their results hit the family very hard, especially for my father. 

After hearing the results of her case, Mr. Gabriel Agreste began spending most of his days, working at his home office, and he became the next prodigy designer.  

No one has seen the genius man since her disappearance. However, many Parisians do believe he may be involved with her disappearance and still do today. 

Growing up in Paris was lonely.  

There were only a few people I knew very well. 

The first two were my father's secretary, Miss. Natalie Sancoeur, and my bodyguard, Mr. Gorilla. 

After losing my mother, Natalie had been given the role as my second legal guardian. Later on, she had become my father's primary representative of the company, and in recent years, she was my homeschooled teacher. Meanwhile, Gorilla was hired to make sure my father had an eye on me. After working under my father's watch for some time, he was given the task of accompanying me to all my photo shoots and he drove me everywhere. 

Whenever Natalie and Gorilla were required to interact with me, they were expected to act professionally by my father's orders, but they always made sure I had some free time for myself. 

The last person I knew was Chloé Bourgeois.  

Ever since we were five, Chloé and I had become the best of friends. At a young age, we grew up with no mothers around, and we were always there whenever we needed someone to talk to. This bratty girl always knew what to say to make things better, and I taught her to be kind to others.  

I am grateful for having them in my life. However, I wanted freedom from my father's grasp. 

On the other hand, being the heir of the biggest company in Paris wasn't that easy.   

Like every famous child in the world, I wanted to receive some sort of affection from my father. For as long as I could remember, my father made me model for his fashion designs, gave me fencing lessons, and made me learn to play the piano. On the sidelines, I had to learn Mandarin, and I was expected to be a perfect child in the public's eyes. My achievements were the best way to get an approval reaction from my father. Nevertheless, he still never showed me any love.   

The first year of attending public school was the best form of freedom which my father had given me. I gained my first real best friend, Nino Lahiffe. This music-loving friend of mine had always found ways to cheer me up whenever I was feeling down. Plus, he would always find time for us to hang out whenever I had time.   

Within the same day, I was given the opportunity to escape from my father's grasps, when Plagg, the kwami god of destruction, came into my life. This small black cat used to transform me into Chat Noir, and I would help my partner Ladybug with protecting Paris from Hawkmoth. Along with the great adventures of being Paris' beloved guardians, I found myself falling in love with Ladybug.  

This brave Asian girl found me and after defeating Hawkmoth, the hero revealed herself to me as my old classmate, Marinette Dupain-Cheng,   

The revelation of this clumsy girl being Ladybug was a bit of a shock for me. However, my expression wasn’t as bad as hers. 

Till this day, I find it a bit funny how Marinette stood there in front of me in a frozen state of mind as her light blue eyes grew wide in shock from seeing her partner Chat Noir transforming into me.  

We then confessed to each other about having crushes on each other, and then we've decided to take a chance on dating.    

When I was living in Paris, Marinette and I were so in love. Sadly we had to break up on bad terms.  

The memories of my past begin to fade away as I start to remember the main reason as to why I am here. 

Yesterday night, my best friend Nino Lahiffe called me up on the phone and he asked me to meet him here. I wasn’t sure as to why I came, but I did.  

Upon entering the bar, I felt like I was back in Paris.  

The narrow walls of this ten by twenty space holds several copies of historical artifacts from my hometown. The furniture looks like the owners have gotten from an old exhibit in Louvre, and rustic tables are laminated with several famous art pieces which come from the nearby gallery on Pine Street. Above the bar section is some gothic lamps, which are giving the darkroom a bit of light as the table booths and chairs are seen covered with soft red fabric and black ladybug spots.  

The whole scene makes me miss Paris, but California is slowly becoming my home.     

“Adrien my man, Happy Birthday!” A deep voice of a young man says from behind me.   

My dark wavy blond hairs flap around on my head as I turn around and I find a short brown hair man coming towards my direction with open arms and a huge grin upon his lips. My brain recognizes him as Nino, and soon afterward, a smile forms across my face from seeing him. I then stand up to greet him as I patiently wait for him to approach me.     

My friendship with Nino hasn't changed since we left Paris together. The second we settled down here, Nino started working as a DJ at nearby bars while I picked up a new career in baking. Gradually, Nino’s music skills have improved and he became one of the top ten celebrity names in the music industry. Meanwhile, I was able to graduate from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts before the school closed down, and I am now living in a small apartment above my bakery, which I have named after my passed alter ego, Noir.   

By 2025, Nino moved out of our first apartment complex, and he was ready to move into a new home with his girlfriend. I helped him with selling the place and soon afterward he found himself a home nearby my bakery. Recently, Nino has replaced his old glasses with his new set of clear contacts. As for his attire, he has received a new wardrobe from the newly released boutique name Tikki.  

Tonight, his dark blue jeans are a bit baggy around his hips, but his upper torso is lined up perfectly with a light green polo shirt. 

A small smile forms upon Nino's blushing face as a few women from the bar area start checking him out. At this moment, I could tell the DJ is flattered by all the attention he was receiving but he doesn’t give these females the time of day. Instead, he begins texting his girlfriend while we wait to be seated.  

“Hey, Nino. so why are we here, man?” I ask with curiosity behind each of my words.   

Nino and I do a fist pump before hearing him respond back, “Dude! This night is going to be epic! Plus, I even got you a little surprise.”   

As soon as I heard the word “surprise" coming out from his lips, a frown forms across my face as I try not to groan in frustration. 

The thought of spending another night in a horrible situation is not the way I want to spend my twenty-fifth birthday.  

The last time my bud gave me a surprise, we ended up at some girl’s house, and it wasn’t a pretty sight. Nino woke up naked with his wrist handcuffed to the bed, and no clothes around. Meanwhile, I was found sleeping on the front doorsteps of a small rundown apartment structure.   

The whole commotion gave the paparazzi one hell of a field day. There were many pictures taken of me with a bottle of rum in my arms. Amidst with all of the images going around; there were also some nasty rumors which were about me getting some woman knocked up, and before I could do anything to fix the situation, the news started to spread rapidly throughout the U.S. 

It took my old modeling agent, my old publicists, and my father a lot of work to fix the situation. The second I called them, I've received endless lectures from the three of them as I explained to my father about Nino’s grand idea of going to the West of Los Angeles. 

My agent Ron, and Natalie have told me that I was lucky to have survived without getting mobbed. As for my father, he can't be in the same room with Nino, or else Nino would receive cold glares of disapproval from him. From time to time, he has ordered me in Mandarin to cut ties with Nino, but he hasn't been able to convince me.  

Till this day, my father still hasn't forgiven me for accepting Nino's surprise, and I wish that day never happen.  

Oh, Nino! If you pull a stunt like that today, how on earth am I going to convince my father that you are not a bad influence on me?     

“Nino, I don’t want to be rude, but I think, I'll pass on the big surprise.” I calmly state towards him with an uneasy smile upon my face.     

“Dude! What happened last time won’t happen again! I promise!" Nino remarks back in a reassuring tone before quietly adding on, " Plus, this surprise is one you would definitely like. Trust me!” 

I was about to warn Nino of my father's wrath. Only to stop talking when I see a male employer coming towards our direction, and he greets us with a smile upon his face.   

“Ah, Mr. Agreste! Your table for four is ready.” The host declares in a professional tone.   

I turn around to face the twenty-year-old man with a shock expression from catching my name until I hear Nino acknowledging his statement on my behalf.     

“Awe yes. I requested a booth in the back.”   

The red-headed host nods in acknowledgment to his statement before declaring back, "Can you please follow me, I will be taking you to your seats, and Gorge will be coming soon to take your orders. I hope you enjoy your night at La Coccinelle, and let us know if there is anything needed to make your visit more comfortable. 

We smile at the host before making our way towards the back of the bar. 

As we are walking, I give Nino a teasing smile which says "nice try' while my left eyebrow rises up in a cocky gesture. Nino just rolls his hazel brown eyes from seeing my response as we follow the host to the back of the bar. 

Once we are seated down in the back corner booth, I look over towards my best friend from across the table, and I start our conversation off with a taunting remark.   

“Well Mr. Agreste, you have change. I never knew you were the type to steal someone's identity.”   

Nino just lets out a chuckle from my remark before responding back, “Dude, you may no longer be a model. But you still get the perks whenever your name is mention to a restaurant. Plus, I am still a bit surprised that your body hasn’t gained weight from all the pastries you try out daily.”   

I tease back by saying in a sarcastic tone, “Nino, it is called working out! You should try it sometime.”  

Nino just shrugs off my comment as we wait for our waiter.  

As we wait for Gorge to come over, Nino was going to ask me about my boring life when he suddenly catches sight of someone he knows, and he smiles at them with an awestruck expression. I turn around to see where he was looking at only to find a woman with red dreadlocks coming over towards our direction with an innocent smile upon her excited face.  

The second I notice her, my breathing pauses as I recognize this dark skin-tone female as  Marinette’s best friend. From seeing my reaction, her left eyebrow goes up in a surprise gesture as she waits for us to greet her. My mouth opens up a bit before closing down on some air as I try not to get too excited on seeing Nino's girlfriend. 

“Alya Césaire! You are here! I exclaim in an unexpected tone before adding on,  "I thought you weren’t going to make it tonight.” 

Alya gives me a smirk of a smile before replying in a sassy tone, "I wasn't going to until I realized that Nino and I still haven't given you, our birthday surprise.”   

A confused expression develops across my face while I recall our conversation from earlier today.  

Alya called me up to inform me that my father has chosen to make a partnership with Marinette's fashion boutique, Tikki.  

A heartfelt smile was on my face from hearing the good news, and yet at the same time, I felt somewhat disappointed regarding my ex-girlfriend not telling me.  

On that moment, I was going to ask Alya, why Marinette hasn't made any contact with me about the news. Only to remind myself that Mari and I aren’t together and we've decided not to have any contact with each other unless Mr. Fu needed the help of Ladybug and Chat Noir.  

The reality of not being in each other's lives, pains me with grief, and yet at the same time, I can’t stop thinking about how I would have addressed the situation differently; if I were in Marinette's position. Nevertheless, I allowed her to set the boundaries after our break up, and I need to accept her wishes. 

Our breakup was hard for both of us. Marinette was a wreck because I was leaving her. Meanwhile, I told her to take the opportunity of her lifetime because she deserved it.  

The memory of that night still haunts me as my mind lingers to our last year together.  

The night when Hawkmoth was forced to surrender his miraculous, Tikki and Plagg left both of our lives, and the bond between Marinette and I had as Ladybug and Chat Noir was shattered.  

A few months before, I found out that my father was able to get Marinette a scholarship in California, and she told me that she didn’t want to leave me behind because I was her dream, and she wanted to stay with me in Paris. 

In my heart, I truly wanted to accept her choice. However, I also knew how much fashion means to her. So I did the most selfless act I could give her by breaking up with her.   

Within a few seconds, Marinette's sob enters my mind and I shake that last memory away by making some space for Alya to sit down.  

At the same time, Nino moves over, and she decides to take a seat next to her boyfriend before sharing a small peck with him on the lips. 

The loveable gesture between the long-lasting couple doesn't usually make an impact on me. However, today I found it hard to stay inside this booth without thinking about Marinette.  

Nino and Alya have two things I do wish to have.  

Being found, and Being Loved by my soulmate.   

Sadly, I don't have either Marinette or Ladybug and I find myself wanting to drink. 

“Hum. Can somebody find a waiter, my lips are dry.” I ask them.   

"I will."  Nino and Alya reply in unison before giggling over their response. 

I mentally my roll eyes in annoyance before hearing myself say, "On second thought, I am going out."   

I get a nod of acceptance from both of them before leaving them behind in the dust. 


	2. Chapter 2: The Alley Advice

The bright neon lights from outside the bar's front window begin to fade into little pecks of light as I check my surroundings for a small place to be alone. I continue to walk away from the tall grey brick walls of the bar in silence before starting to think about the recent events which I've received. 

What am I going to do if the birthday surprise from Nino and Alya is about their plans on getting married?  

_If this is their surprise, then that means, I will be left behind.  _

_Should I call upon my long lost love for a meetup and fix our relationship?  _

_Or should I continue on living a life as a single man and improving my career at Noir's bakery?  _

_Guh, I just don't know which one to choose!  _

_Both choices sound like great decisions, but which one should I take?  _

In this moment of time, I was going to make a list of pros and cons for each decision, when all of a sudden, I stumble onto the nearby alley. Within seconds my body tenses up as I feel a small painful sting coming out from my right ankle while I try to balance my upper body with my arms out from their side position in flying motion. As luck would have it, I am able to gain balance due to leading onto a nearby blue-brick wall. However, I find myself wanting to cry as a new sense of pain enters my right shoulder. 

A gasp of frustration escapes from my lips while I try to restrain all of my emotions. I stay still in this position as the last emotional conversation I had with my father comes back into my mind. I can still remember my father stating in firm-cold tone," **Don't you dare, Adrien!  Crying makes you look like a weak individual. We, Agreste men, should never be seen as weak individuals. Focus all of your emotions on your appearance and not on your thoughts. Do I make myself clear!"**  

A shudder of disgust spreads from the tip of my toes to the top of my head as I erase all those ruthless thoughts from my mind. I then allow Marinette's father, Mister Dupin's advice to resurface from the back of my mind. I can still picture, his worry expression as he tells my teenage-self, in a reassuring tone," **Son, people don't cry because they are weak. They cry because they've been strong for too long, It is a sign which not only shows other humans our deepest emotions but also shows people that we aren't afraid to be ourselves. Adrien, you must be willing to accept yourself as a human and cry. For you alone, can know what is best for you. Not your father. Or his name. But you.** " A small smile forms across my face as I push away the last amazing memory from my thoughts.  

A small cold breeze from the north direction brings me back to the alley. However, I can't seem to find a good enough answer to my previous questions.   

I guess the only way I can find the answer, is to analyze, my past, and my present time, as a whole, and see where I should go from there. 

Okay, so in my teenage years, I have come to the realization that there wasn't anything I could do to fix my broken relationship with my father. Young Adrien was wasting his life trying to please his father and I don't think he realized that he needed to be found, and loved until Ladybug came into his life and he became her partner, Chat Noir. It is with her that he was able to be found and she was the one to save us. So, calling up my long lost love for a meetup would be a good choice. However, would she be enough to fill the hole of being alone?  

I don't know...  

A sigh of defeat escapes from my lips as my eyes look up towards earth's only natural satellite, the moon.  

The crescent shape light is gorgeous tonight, but It isn't the only thing I find precious in life.    

_Marinette Dupain-Cheng  _

This girl-- no woman stole my heart when I first met her, and I still believe she may be the number one person I love with all of my heart.  

_Forever and Always.  _

Those were the last words of Love which I said to her when we were together. 

The only question I have left in my mind is; Will she want to get back together with me?  

I brush the last question away from my thoughts before thinking about my life as a baker.  

Within one year, I have learned a new recipe, every month, and it has helped me from thinking about Marinette. However, my daily morning runs would always end by running by her boutique, which is nearby my home. Just seeing her pulling an old nighter from outside her boutique makes me want to try again with her.  

I stop on my last thought as I whisper towards myself in sarcasm "So much for keeping myself from thinking about her."    

After finishing up my last comment, I come to the realization that I have an answer to all of my questions. I take a sigh of relief, and I was about to exit the narrow alleyway when I hear someone walking towards my direction. I can't see the person very clearly but when they start to speak; my heart drops towards the pit of my stomach.  

"Are you alright?" I hear a woman asking me with concern behind each of her words while she stands in front of me. 

That high pitch voice... it sounds so familiar to me.  

_Do I know her?  _

_I'm not so sure...  _

"No-- No, not really.",  I reply with a small smile on my face as I wipe my tears away. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asks in a sweet tone.  

"I don't know. Talking to a stranger about my feelings; isn't something I should be doing. Don't you think?" I reply in a teasing tone.  

The second I hear my response, I am reminded of all the conversation I used to have with my princess/ladybug as Chat Noir, and I find myself nodding my head in disapproval. 

Hearing the sassiness behind each of my words causes me to cringe while I find myself hoping that the woman doesn't see my comments as anything else but as friendly banter. Nevertheless, I think it is sounding more like flirting than what I intended it to be.  Oh well, let's hope for the best. 

Silence fills the awkward atmosphere between us before hearing her chuckle. The sound of her laughter lightens up the alleyway while I couldn't help myself, but give her a smirk of a smile back.  

Soon after hearing the last of her chuckles, she then comments back in a sassy tone, "Oh, you would be surprised! Talking to a stranger about your feelings is easier than keeping all your emotion inside. Plus, it's not good to bottle up your thoughts, Kit--sir." 

A comforting smile forms upon my face from hearing the slip of her tongue before deciding to let my guard down, and opening up to her. 

The first topic I brought up to her was about my father and how he treated me like an employer than a son.  

This then brought up the confession of being homeschooled until the final stages of my college years, which she only replied back with a hum of letting me know that she was listening.  

The second thing I told her about is my best friend Nino, and all of our adventures.  

Every other story would make the woman laugh while I would admit to her of the messed up situations, which eighter Nino, or I, would get ourselves into.  

Truly, I never thought that sharing a part of myself would lift up the sadness from my mind, but it does.  

Our one-sided conversation was going great until I decide to bring up Marinette. I tell the lady about my bittersweet love story and she keeps quiet while I rant about my feelings for Mari. With her silence, I was able to tell her what I loved about our relationship, and I was grateful for her listing. The more I talked to this stranger, the more comfortable I found myself talking to her about all the good memories I had with Marinette. I am not sure why I was comfortable, but in some strange way, I felt like I was talking to an old friend than a stranger. 

"So what I getting from your tale is that you are feeling like you should be with her but you don't know if she would want you back?" She asks with uncertainty behind her words. 

'Exactly," I exclaimed in relief of her understanding my dilemma.  

"How are you so sure about her feelings?" She asks with no emotion behind her words. "Did you ever stop to think that maybe she would have wanted to secretly be with you, too!"  

A confuse expression comes across my face as I reply in a shocked tone, "What?". 

Silence comes between us again until she states in a puzzling tone, "Over the past years, you have admitted to yourself that you have become lost without her. Right?" 

I nod yes before realizing she can't see my response. So, I reply "yes" before hearing her add-on in a sad-whisper tone," A part of you wants to run back to her and yet at the same time... you want to move on."   

_How on earth does she know how I feel? It's like she can read my mind.  _

_Who is she?  _

She then asks  me, "Have you ever thought that maybe she feels the same way?" 

I let a gasp from her statement as I wait for her to continue on. 

Another sigh comes out from within her lips before hearing her confess in a vulnerable tone, "Strange as this may seem... I am going through the same type of situation as you. The only difference between our stories is that I believe that he and I could have made it work. Instead, we broke up before we could have fixed the problem we were facing"  

A sad expression comes across my face as I reply back in a pitiful tone, "I am sorry to hear about your situation miss..." 

The woman doesn't say anything about my statement. Instead, she continues on by stating in a sorrowful tone, "I am happy with how things turned out for us. I just wish we were able to discover a way for us to work things out. Now, our friendship is ruined, and I don't have the courage to contact him." 

Her last statement has me thinking about my break up with Marinette.   

_Could this woman be telling me something which I am not understanding?  _

_Is she telling me that Mari felt the same way as this woman felt when her last boyfriend broke up with her?  _

_"Why, are we still talking about this?  _

" _I don't know why but I have to ask her that one question which I wanted to ask Marinette when Nino became friends with Alya again._

"May I ask you a question?" I state in a cautious tone. 

She pauses for a second before replying back in a soft whisper, "Yeah." 

"How did it happen- I ask before breaking off my statement as the rest of my mind catches up with my brain, "If you don't feel comfortable... you don't have to tell me!" 

"No!" She shouts out in a panic tone. 

My body jumps up from her unexpected comment before hearing her state back in a soft tone, "Telling you would only be fair." 

"Are you sure? You really don't have to.", I reply in a gentle tone. 

"You are too kind." She states in one breath with a bit of a smile behind her words before adding on," However, I think maybe we can help each other out." 

"Alright"  

"Start when you are ready." 

She takes a deep breath in and out while I find myself focusing on her silhouette. 

"I met my soulmate in Junior High. When I first met him, I thought he was a spoiled rich brat. My thoughts of him were like this for the day until he made a kind gesture towards me outside of school. A guest which I would never forget.  

At that time, he did not realize that he stole my heart until later on.  

Two years later, we confess to each other about our feelings for one another and we decide to date." 

As she finishes her last sentence, a dreamy tone enters her voice until the very end of her second sentence. 

"For about two years, we stayed together as boyfriend and girlfriend. Everything we ever wanted was coming true. However, our relationship didn't last long. After graduation, we had to break up because he thought a long distance relationship wouldn't work for us. The whole breakup has left us devastated but I've never stopped believing that we belong together. Till this day, I would jump into a relationship with him; if he still truly wants one with me." 

A small smile comes across my face from hearing her speak with such adoration for her lover. Meanwhile, my heart becomes filled with happiness until my mind starts picturing Marinette's tearful face. 

"What would you have told him; if he did come back into your life?" 

The stranger doesn't respond to my question. Instead, she lets out a sob while her upper body collapses onto the concrete floor. 

As soon as I hear her sobbing, a guilty emotion forms into the core of my heart while I scold myself for asking her such a question.  

At this moment, I could tell she was still suffering from the pain of the breakup and I felt myself wanting her to know that I was here for her. So, I decide to comfort her.  

Slowly but surely, I sit down next to her body before finding my hands reaching out towards her. My body then sits cross-legged beside her head on the floor as my hands pick up her head. The soft hair from her head tickles my arms but I ignore the sensation as I wrap my arms around her upper waist.  

The stranger's body tenses for a short bit until she realizes that she is in my arms. Once I feel her small body in my embrace, she then leans her head upon my right shoulder and she continues to weep a little while longer until she could find herself calming one.  

Once the tears stop, she decides to reply with one word.  

"Yes."  

For a second, I catch my breath as I ask her in a soft tone, "Why?" 

"Is there any other way to answer your question without saying I love him, " she stops on her reply before rephrasing her answer, " Yes, I would forgive him. The reason why is because this man has given me something no one has been able to give me. He was there when I needed someone to believe in me. The man may not know it but he gave me all the confidence I needed to achieve my dreams and in return, I gave him back the happiness he deserved." 

At the end of her statement, her voice cracks from crying, but she keeps her focus on finishing her explanation by stating in one breath, "My man told me that I found him when he was close to giving up on life. Yet he doesn't know that he did the same thing for me." 

My throat closes up from her explanation while I tried to make sense of the response. She takes my reaction as a good silence, and soon after her confession, I become astonished again by her next statement.  

"I still not okay with us breaking up", she says in a harsh tone, 

"What do you mean?" I ask in confusion. "You just said, you were okay with the aftermath" 

"Yes, that is correct." She states off in a weak tone before continuing on in a stronger tone,"After our separation, I came here, and I became lost in a world where I tried to use my passion for the arts, as a way to cope with the pain. However, I am not okay with his reason for breaking up. In those final moments, alone together, my love thought he wasn't enough for me. So he let me go in order to achieve my dreams. Sadly, my man didn't realize that he had become my future dream, and I just wanted to be with him, Forever. I didn't care about breaking up with him. I cared for what he thought of himself which is something I regret deeply because he was enough for me. He just didn't see it.". 

A gasp comes out of my lips from hearing her response as my mind goes back to my last conversation with Marinette before our final farewell.  

**_"Please don't do this." She begs while a few tears run down her slim cheeks.  _ **

**_I shout back in frustration, "This is your dream, Mari! Take it because there isn't anything I can give you; if you stick around.",  I state in a stern tone as the pain in my eyes expand towards my now cold expression.  _ **

**_Three small tears went down her face before hearing her respond back in agony, "No Adrien! Don't you realize, kitty!  You are my dream!"  _ **

**_"Mari," I comment softly in hopes that she would stop talking, but she doesn't.  _ **

**_"WHY CAN'T YOU SEE! YOU ARE MY EVERYTHING!' She shouts back in pain.  _ **

**_Another gasp comes out of my lips as the memories of that night fade away.  _ **

**_Maybe this woman is right.  _ **

**_If so... then that means, Marinette didn't want me to leave her.  _ **

_Oh, those distraught bluebell eyes of hers._  

Back then, I didn't understand why she didn't want to come., but now our conversation makes sense to me. All she ever wanted was me, and I let her go.   

My train of thought comes to an end as I feel the stranger removing herself from my embrace. At the same time, we both decide to get up from the floor and say our goodbyes. 

"Thank you for listening to my dilemma," I state with a smile on my face.  

"You welcome, and thanks for doing the same, but before I go, there is some advice I would like to give you." She replies back in a kind tone. 

"What is it?" I ask with curiosity. 

"No matter how far you run away from love, your lost soul will be found."  

"Thanks, I will keep that in mind," I state with a smile upon my face as we walk towards opposite ends of the alley. 

Once I reach the bar, I take one last look towards the alleyway's direction before going back into the small building and celebrating my birthday with my friends. 


End file.
